By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The buzz at the Deveroes Summer League died down considerably Tuesday when Slats, the team with three University of Cincinnati recruits, lost to Maaco-Blue Ash in the quarterfinal round of the league tournament.

But that left top-seeded Maaco-Blue Ash, with a 9-0 record, to play fourth-seeded Cintas at 2 p.m. today in the second semifinal game at Oak Hills High. The first game at 12:30 p.m. will feature second-seeded Stan Litz Law Office vs. No. 3 seed Stratus Group.

After having disposed of the league's most popular team, Maaco-Blue Ash players say they don't get any extra motivation by playing the league's defending champion, Cintas, today.

"Not really," said Jack "Truck" Jennings, last year's league MVP. "We're just trying to win everything. It doesn't matter who we play."

It also doesn't seem to matter who the opponent is regarding Maaco-Blue Ash's offensive philosophy; throw the ball down low to Jennings and wait for the double-team. More often than not, the big man can handle the defense himself and take it strong to the basket, but the double team usually leaves a guard open for a 3-pointer, if Jennings needs a bail out.

"There's no secret," said Maaco-Blue Ash guard Kevin Britten. "We're going down low to Truck Jennings. Everybody knows it's coming. It's a matter of what are they going to do about it. They're going to have to double-team."

Because of that, Maaco-Blue Ash players have spent some extra time in the gym, practicing long range shots, since Tuesday's 83-73 win against Slats, in which Damon Flint made four 3-pointers.

They'll be playing a Cintas team that relies heavily on 3-point shooting to cover for a lack of a strong inside presence. Former Wright State player Cain Doliboa hit eight 3s in Cintas' quarterfinal win against Mike Albert Leasing.

His brother, Seth Doliboa, currently plays at Wright State and is dangerous as well from long range. Both Doliboas are tall for guards, which makes getting off a shot easier against smaller defenders.

"We've already got a game plan," Britten said. "We're going to deny them the ball."

Maaco-Blue Ash used its defense to get back in the game Tuesday against Slats by going on a 19-2 run after seeing an 11-point second half deficit.

"We play together, and that makes it easier," Jennings said. "I've been playing in this league a long time. We don't have anything to prove; we just come out and play."

Jennings hit a game-winning jumper to beat Cintas during the regular season.

The winner of the Maaco-Blue Ash/Cintas game will get the winner of the Stan Litz/Stratus Group game in the finals at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Stan Litz is made up of former Butler players Mike Monserez, Darnell Archey, Joel Cornette and Brandon Miller, and Dayton's Keith Waleskowski and Sean Finn.

Stratus Group has experienced players in twins Wade and Wyatt Goins, and Chuck Broadnax, but lately the team has turned to youthful talent for a spark in the playoffs.

Schedule
Today
12:30 p.m. Stan Litz Law Office vs. Stratus Group
2 p.m. Maaco-Blue Ash vs. Cintas
Note: Meet-the-players event at Willies Sports Café to follow games.
Sunday
7 p.m. championship game

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com